Planting Moments

The sunrise promised it was going to be a good day. I was 33 years old. The same age our younger two sons, Kurt and Karl, are today. A gentleman pulled on the farm yard and introduced himself. He said he had done a little homework and thought we would be a good possibility to sell Dekalb seed. I immediately declined. And told Shannon I wasn't a salesman. He said he understood, but would come back in a week.

Our four older children ranged in age from 11 to 6. Kurt and Karl were babies. When I mentioned the visit to Jan, she said we should think about Shannon's offer. She suggested the seed income would help pay for our rising Christian education costs. One week later we accepted Shannon's offer to sell Dekalb seed. 33 years later Kurt's son Jackson is hunting with his Dad yesterday. Thanks for the picture Kurt.

God blessed that decision. And in 1990, our first sales year, we were awarded the dealer of the year award. Monsanto bought Dekalb. And we were soon selling a new technology, RoundupReady seed. Those 30 years helped pay our children's as well as others tuition. That decision also prepared me for a career in helping other farmers succeed. And fit well in our families' customwork business. The "moment" for me in this story is not that first farm visit. Neither is it the award. My moment in this story is Jan encouraging me to give selling seed a try.

This past Monday morning Jan and I watched the sun come up over the Mississippi River as we drove to Indianapolis, Indiana for a Becks dealer extravaganza. Today Jan and I help Karl and Kristin with a Becks Seed dealership. My early years in the seed business prepared our family "for such a time as this". In the picture below Sonny, the father of the Becks family, my good friend Ken from Indiana, Bryan, a 30 year Becks dealer, and Ken's grandson, are visiting during a break.

One of the things on Jan's bucket list was to attend an NFL football game. Last Monday evening we were given tickets to Lucas Stadium to watch the Colts host the Steelers. Thank you Sonny, Ken, and Matt.

The thousand folks that attended the dealer event were blessed with several good speakers. One in particular parallels my story. Jim started working for Monsanto at about the same time we started with Dekalb. For 15 of the 18 years Jim worked for Monsanto we knew each other and worked on the same team. Even though Jim did not have a college degree he became an executive vise president and was very instrumental in a number of Monsanto's success's. In 2011 Jim joined the Becks team. God also used Jim's previous experiences to help him as an asset as he helps Tom, Corey, and others navigate great relationships with Bayer, formerly Monsanto and Dekalb, Corteva, formerly Pioneer, Syngenta, BASF, Stine, and others. Jim and our family are again on the same team.

December fieldwork is usually a challenge. We continue to apply anhydrous ammonia between the times that fields go from too frozen to too greasy.

Karl and I continue to work at emptying hog shed manure pits. With the fields finished near the buildings, we are now tankering the manure to fields around three miles away.

Jim continues to haul grain. Alex went to El Paso, IL. this week to pick up a load of Becks seed beans. Thanks for the picture Al.

A number of bad things happened in our countries national politics again this week. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. I've heard it said that money and power intensify who you are. To some it highlights their grabbing and holding. To others it shows their giving and sharing. It's a mystery to me how politicians change when they get to DC. Leadership is about representing others potential. Not self-focused popularity and position. What bothers me the most though is not all the noisy and deprived changes. What bothers me the most is the utter silence from those I thought I knew that held the same values and freedoms I do.

When you look in the mirror who do you see? I hope you don't just see your own reflection. I hope you also see those who helped make you who you are today. I've had a number of folks tell me, "By george, I had no help getting to where I am today. I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps". Folks, whether we admit it or not we have all had help of some kind. Our moments. Maybe an opportunity. Maybe an encouraging word at just the right time. This past Thursday evening my siblings and I had Christmas dinner at the Care Center with our mother.

So we visited about receiving moments. How about planting moments? Last week in Indianapolis Ashley said one comes in contact with approximately 80,000 folks in a lifetime. Do we plant moments in other's lives? How will we be remembered? And when we are in the cemetery, what will the saying be on the rock above us? On Friday landlords, Keith and Netta, Karen and Craig, and Kathy and Stu, brought us a holiday meal of ground hamballs, cheesy potatoes, beans and corn, homemade buns, and three desserts. Thank you! You were planting moments in our families lives. Thanks for the picture Karen.

We started our visit with a sunrise. We're ending it with a sundog. What are sundogs? They are bright spots in the sky on either side of the sun. And they mean a change is coming.

We've visited this morning about change. Some for the good. Others for the not so good. As you interact with folks, recognize and acknowledge those who planted moments and opportunities for you. And work to plant moments and opportunities for others. Yes, we are just ordinary folks. However we were created to do extraordinary things. In our changing and chaotic world don't just be complacent and comfortable. Be courageous and caring. Blessings.